Pierce Holt
'Pierce Holt '''is a lamia vampire, and a member of Jez Redfern and Morgead Blackthorn's vampire gang in San Francisco. He first appears in ''Huntress, and ultimately serves as a spy for the prestigious vampire Lily Redfern. He meets his end at the hands of Jez, who accidentally immolates him when she is revealed to be the first Wild Power. Appearance Pierce is depicted as being "slender", with "dark blond hair and deep-set eyes". He is also stated to have "aristocratic" features, and "artist's hands". Recurring adjectives used for him center around the word "cold"; he is described as being cool, and having "his own windchill factor" wherever he goes. Personality Despite having been a member of Jez and Morgead's gang for years, Pierce seems to have a cold personality, being the most detached of the group, although he takes some enjoyment in the activities the gang takes up. He seems to be highly observant, picking up the true nature of Jez and Morgead's relationship even before they had, commenting that their actions are "so---married". A true Night Person, Pierce has neither sympathy for humans, nor remorse for killing them, believing them vermin. His particularly, during hunts, stays behind to give his targets the impression of escaping him before chasing them down. Pierce has a concealed, amibitious side, and is not above betraying the gang to achieve his aims; he is revealed to be a spy for Lily Redfern. He is also appalled and disgusted by Jez's half-human status, deeming her a "freak" and claiming she "should have been drowned at birth", aiding in her capture and near-death. History Jez and Morgead's Night Out Approximately two years before the events of Huntress, the gang has targeted a human serial killer, Steven G. Vizner, as their latest victim. Inside the murderer's apartment, which is filled with mummified bodies and various human limbs and body parts, Jez, currently second-in-command of the gang, is reasonably disgusted by the macabre trophy collection, although Val and Thistle react with dark humor. Pierce tells them that their target works at a gas station, getting off work at 2 A.M. Jez opts for heading to the store and waiting out the four hours until he gets off work; the gang agrees to go and wait rather than remain at the apartment. They arrive at the station at 1:30 and, after locking the door, allow Thistle inside; the young vampire pretends to be a lost child who was separated from her family to attract Vizner's attention and lure him outside. Taking the opportunity, when Thistle begins crying and crumples to the floor, Vizner picks the small girl up, brings her to his car and locks her in the trunk. However, he is then ambushed by the gang, who appear out of the darkness, flashing their fangs. Terrified, Vizner faints, after which the gang brings him to the nearby Muir Woods. Bringing the murderer to Muir Woods, they then proceed taking turns feeding on Vizner. However, afterwards, the gang cannot decide how to dispose of their target. Morgead and the others opt for submitting Vizner to days of torture for all he had done to other human beings, but Jez adamantly disagrees, instead suggesting a quick death. Despite being outvoted, Morgead is furious and tries to convince Jez otherwise, as he is actually hurt by her dissent. When Morgead still refuses to listen to her, citing the serial killer's danger to others, Jez challenges him for the leadership of the gang, shocking everyone. Morgead accepts the challenge, allowing Jez to set the method and location. Pierce acts as timekeeper with Vizner's Rolex, while Raven acts as referee. At first, Jez distracts and punches Morgead, who refuses to move even after start time is called and is felled by the blow, but Raven adds another stipulation to determine leadership: one of them has to bite the other to decide who is the new leader. Neither wanting the others to see that happen in full view (as it is considered humiliating to get bitten by another vampire like that), Jez and Morgead take off into the forest and fight. Jez and Morgead later emerge from the woods; after a powerful fight in which both almost killed one another, Morgead concedes leadership to Jez. Upon returning to the others, they learn that Vizner, who'd had a second razor the gang had never detected, had taken his own life rather than face whatever Jez and her gang were going to inflict on him; Raven claims this is "the boys' fault", as Pierce and Val had not picked up the second razor. Jez opts for leaving the body and car behind, and Morgead publicly acknowledges her as the new leader as the gang departs. Huntress The novel begins a few years later, as Jez, now leader, organizes a hunt in Muir Woods with a human gang they intend to kill. Jez notes that, when the gang flees into the forest, Pierce "hangs back...waiting to give his prey the illusion of escaping." When Jez abandones the gang, returning a year later as a covert member of Circle Daybreak, the members are stunned but thrilled to see her again; Pierce mentions not being worried about Jez's safety, confident she was fine, and "looking at her with cool approval". He also comments with some "spite" on the two leaders' constant bickering, comparing Jez and Morgead to a married couple. However, when it is mentioned that Jez is working for Hunter Redfern (a ruse she concocted to fool Morgead), Pierce becomes suspicious, though does not show it. The gang sets out to retrieve the girl they believe to be the Wild Power, Iona Skelton, kidnapping her and bringing her to Morgead's apartment; Pierce laughs when Jez shows sympathy for the squalor in which Iona lives, showing disdain for the new leader's sentimentality over a human. There, they trap the child behind debris, Pierce himself lighting the match to frighten Iona with a fire, hoping to prompt her into showing the blue fire. However, Iona adamantly insists she has no powers and becomes terrified as the fire blazes closer. Pierce then mentions being concerned; Jez has a brief hope that he is feeling pity for Iona, but he simply states that he is concerned the fire wil attract attention from other tenants, to which Morgead tells him "to shut up". When Iona, Jez and Morgead all leap off the building after one another, the gang puts out the fire and descends to check on their fellows. Pierce comments about the Wild Power, doubting the authenticity of the blue fire featured on a video Morgead had of it. He inquires whether Jez will report the incident to Hunter; although Jez confirms this, she is growing to heavily dislike Pierce and his icy demeanor. After bringing Iona home safely, deducing she is not a Wild Power, the next day Pierce calls Morgead to meet him, as he claims to have more information on the Wild Powers. However, it is a trap: arriving at the meeting area, Morgead is knocked unconscious and later, with Jez, her human cousin Claire Goddard and the Old Soul Daybreaker Hugh Davis, is brought to a house at the edge of town by associates of Lily Redfern, who is the true operative Hunter commissioned to find the Wild Powers. Pierce reveals his role in their capture and as a colleague of Lily's, to Morgead's outrage. He mocks Morgead, referring to him as "stupid" for falling for Pierce's false request to meet. When Morgead, enraged, calls him "scum" for betraying the gang, Pierce counters his former leader's outburst, claiming to be "smart" and intending to survive the upcoming apocalypse, revealing his suspicions of Jez when she claimed to be working for Hunter and when she showed concern for Iona. He soon uncovered the truth, and furthermore shows blatant repulsion for Jez, as she is a Daybreaker and partially human, Pierce claiming she is "a mutant abomination". When Lily, unable to deduce who is the true Wild Power among the for, threatens to kill them, Pierce interrupts her, sharing his theory that the Wild Power may be acting subconsciously, only responding to extreme danger. As such, he tells Lily, as Hugh, Claire and Morgead are attached to Jez, Lily should have the red-haired teen staked, reasoning in addition that Jez is "expendable", with no intention of revealing the Wild Power even if she knew. Lily warms to his suggestion, claiming to "like" Pierce for his idea, and orders Jez to be set down and impaled with a wooden stake. However, when Pierce, on Lily's order, moves to stake Morgead, the mortally wounded Jez calls up the blue fire, revealing herself alone to be the first Wild Power. Using her power, she unleashes it on those holding them captive, by sheer accident incinerating Lily, Pierce, their associates and the very house they have been held in. Pierce's death is later confirmed to Jez after she is taken to a Circle Daybreak safehouse. Trivia *Although lamia, Pierce is one of the few of such vampires who does not technically have a traditional lamia name (althoug being an action that can be caused by animals and plants, Pierce's name is disputable). His surname is an alternate word for a grove of trees. Appearances *''Huntress '' Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Lamia Category:Vampires